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Existing luggage

One bummer with the new bike is that most saddlebags/boxes designed for older models will not transfer to the new, as the exhaust pipe is now on the right side.

The bike I've got has the stock bags, good for paved riding, not-so-great for lots of bumps and dirt. Plus, they don't hold much.

So, a set of Jesse boxes is on order... I've always been please with Al Jesse's design (much sturdier than competing alternatives) and have run them on all my GS, back to the R80 G/SPD+.

But for long-mileage adventure travel and camping, I like to add tank panniers and a tank bag to carry more stuff while also balancing the weight of all the luggage mounted to the rear.

For very long trips, my Mountain Sun Sherpa Tank Panniers are indispensable. They allow for heavy, rarely used items like tools and spares to be packed close to the bike's center of mass. And they hold a lot of stuff! I just got a new Big Agnes Big House 4 tent, my first ever tent that I can stand up in. But it's *big*... and just happens to fit in the Mountain Sun panniers.

The good news is that these panniers fit nicely on the new wethead, as do my trusty old Aerostich Competition-sized Tank panniers, which are used on shorter camping trips. I haven't ridden with either yet, just checked fit... but it appears there will be no issue with the hot air coming off the radiators.

Excellent news. Fitting my Mt Sun on the new GS was a minor worry; I have a hard time picturing how they'll sit. The worry is slightly exacerbated by the front strap modifications I made to get a better fit on the '05 GS. Nothing that can't be worked around, though.

Originally Posted by Visian

Did anyone try the BMW tank bag? I like a smaller bag than they usually provide, and there were no samples of this at the press launch.

There are TWO different sizes. I looked at the small version of the bag on the shelf at the dealer. I have not seen it on the bike. There was nothing special about the bag one way or the other. None of the tank bags appeal to me. So this time around I'm going to give the Wunderlich handlebar bag a try. They say it will fit the wethead. I'll find out. If not then someone will get a good deal.

I got a chance to ride the demo GSW at my dealer last week when the RT was in the shop for a service interval. Wow, what an amazing bike !.

I put about 150 miles on running around in the heat as I was curious about the heat management of the bike. The radiator fan on the right side really dumps out a lot of heat when you are sitting still ! For several stops I was having HD nightmares (this was in 90 degree actual temp at the time).

Anyway, as noted above, the bike is an absolute hoot to ride. It is very light, and has light, quick steering. That engine ? Wow. Power all over the place, and the first thing I noticed running up I10 into Baton Rouge is that in 6th gear, you can roll on the power hard and the bike will pull hard. No need to downshift to pull a pass above 50 mph. Engine exhaust sound is an amazing growl when you hit the throttle. Not much excuse for an aftermarket can now. This is a great scooter to run around town on because it is so maneuverable. I ran into my driveway and started doing full-lock turns inside the 20 foot width quite easily.
Several neighbors were watching and had a very puzzled look on their faces while I was riding around in circles laughing loudly

The wet clutch makes slow speed activity absolutely a joy and you can walk the bike along at almost no speed for extended periods without the burning clutch odor we are all familiar with.

The cruise control works just like my RT, and is outstanding for running any distance and saving "throttle claw". For some reason this bike did not have all the electronic goodies, so no comment on anything other than the ABS, which works nicely when you hit its operating parameters.

An interesting thing happened when I picked up the RT in the afternoon: When I mounted the RT and pulled the bike off the side stand, I instantly had the thought "Geez... why is this thing so heavy ?" I had adjusted my pickup inputs for the light weight of the GS. The RT, which I find very easy to pick up anyway, seemed very, very heavy until I adjusted back to its characteristics.

Would I buy the bike ? Yep. The windscreen needs aftermarket, but the seat actually seemed to be acceptable. It is not the bike the RT is, but for its intended use it is definitely a winner. I cannot wait to see what the new RT will be with the waterhead engine. I just bought my sweepstakes ticket !

I may be able to add a bit more insight now that I have driven in some heavy rain.

I got the new design BMW tank bag for my GS 6 weeks ago and powered it up with the Powerlet tank bag kit. I hated to cut into the waterproof membrane, but it actually went very well because the membrane is of a ripstop material that allows you to make a very small slit to bass the connection through. That way I can connect stuff directly to my battery such as my Gerbings and keep all my electronics charged up. I had a chance to test it in a significant torrential downpour last week for 4 hours and it stayed completely dry. Although the large plastic map pouch did get lots of condensation in it, so maps would have been destroyed. the internal compartments stayed bone dry though. The size is big enough for my iPad and case so for me I would give it a 9 out of ten. The only shortcoming I see is that the mounting straps seem to looses up a wee bit when lifting the bag to fill the tank, not a big deal as you just pull on the strap to tighten, easy.

I also got the small tail bag from BMW and it also stays completely waterproof so far, it fit easily onto the rear carrier and fits tightly. My bike is the white color so the coloring of the bag compliments very well.

I have had Jesse bags on previous GSs and found that they aways allowed some moisture to penetrate at the top lid and found them too floppy at the lower rear corners because they never have a rear cross bar like most other bags do. This eventually caused failure at the upper mounting points over time and rough roads. This time I installed Metal Mules bags from the UK. I am using their 38 liter bags, the same on each side and find I did not need to use a cut out or smaller bag on the muffler side to accommodate the muffler. Both bags are balanced and are exactly as wide as my handlebars, perfect for getting through traffic. I have a thread on how I mounted them over on the ADVRider GSSpot forum. IMHO, these bags are one notch up from the Jesse which, up until I got these, were what I thought were the best bags. Now there is a new king of the hill in panniers, and they are made in the UK. I had to fabricate connections for the bike myself but this allowed me to accommodate my 2" ABS pipe tent pole and tool tubes within the racks, now my tent can fit inside my bags and the poles outside in the tubes.

I was going to put my Rotopax water and gas jugs on the panniers as I had done with my TT Zegas, but the Metal Mules allow them to be placed inside the panniers and keep things nice and uncluttered and tight. Of course the gas can would be in the left side bag with the camping gear away from the muffler, while the water jug will be on the right with my clothes which are in a Kriega inner bag.

My alarm for the bike was back ordered and got installed last week when it came in. There is no remote control for it like in earlier models, that is really the only difference I have noticed. The thing turns on after 30 seconds and will activate the signals and horn or buzzer if the bike is touched, a non-authorized key is inserted or the battery is disconnected. I also got a 15% discount on insurance for having it, so after 5 years it should pay for itself. Why get an alarm on a BMW that is rarely stolen? Because when in my experience when away from the bike people and kids like to fiddle with it, just out of curiosity. This way I can leave my tank bag on the bike and not have to worry so much. This is particularly true in third world countries where you may have to leave your bike on the street at night. Everyone wants to take pictures sitting on it when no one is around. This should keep them at bay.

I also installed the OEM crash guards, they are well made stainless and offer ample protection to the valve covers, but with the TB now on top of the head I can no longer stretch my legs out across the engine and crash bars like I could on my 1150GS. The neat thing is that the TT bar uppers will fit these lowers exactly and then offer rad protection like the 1200 GSA does, will need to get these. Speaking of rad protection, the rad intakes are bug scoops, mine are covered with bugs after 1800 km and I will need to get rad covers from TT or Wunderlich soon because where bugs can reach so can stones.

Has anyone come across anyone making a USB charger that fits into the BMW (DIN?) connection on the dash for power? I checked with Powerlet in Detroit and they are working on a double one but it wont be out until late this summer. They already have them for cigarette lighter (SAE?) connection, but strangely not yet for European connections.

Lastly, the hand guards on this bike are just too narrow, they don't deflect enough rain away from the gloves. I will get a set of extenders from TT or Wunderlich like I had on my prior GSs, they work really well in keeping the gloves dry for an extra 10 minutes.

I always ride solo and toss the passenger seat, however when I do this on this bike there is no real shelf to carry stuff on. BMW makes one out of aluminum but I have had one on B/O for 4 months now and there is still no stock showing in Germany. Apparently Jeremy at Altrider if making up one for that purpose that will also allow Rotopax mounting. I will get one instead when he comes up with a final design in the near future. In the meantime I have removed the plastic grab handle surrounding the seat as it is just in the way when packing the bike for solo long distance riding.

Basic Maintenance stuff

Hooray... BMW has finally figured out that consistently-sized fasteners of the same type (e.g. torx vs allen) make life much easier when doing simple maintenance.

Interestingly, on the R12GSW, it's now easy to get to the battery and hard(ish) to get at the air filter... the exact reverse of my 1150GS.

The battery takes under 30 seconds to get at, and most of that time is spent opening your tools and finding the write torx tool. And there's even a small post for accessing the positive terminal (which is located inboard, relative to ground) so that jump starting is a cinch. Big auto jumper cable connectors are probably not going to fit in there, though.

The air box/filter is a bit more fussy... 5 screws to remove the center panel on top of the fuel tank, and another 4 to remove the air box cover. At least the same torx tool can be used. With the forward facing air intakes, I see a future with many bugs sitting on top of the air filter, so perhaps some foam filter inserts are in order. I use these on my 1150 and HP2.

For garage work, a set of t-handle torx drivers with long reach look to be a good investment. Might even get some for the road tool kit, since they're so much easier to work with than what comes in the stock tool kit.

Oil filter change is a snap, since it is side mounted. You don't even have to remove the skid plate.

However, you do need to remove the skid plate to drain the oil, but a judiciously drilled hole would fix that. The plate is held on with five bolts of the same size... what a concept! (I do see the need for an aftermarket skidplate if your riding demands something fairly sturdy. The mounting could use a little beef-up, too).

Of course, BMW doesn't actually tell you how to drain the oil from the bike... great. Can't wait for a Haynes manual. Has anyone seen work of a factory shop manual?

For garage work, a set of t-handle torx drivers with long reach look to be a good investment. Might even get some for the road tool kit, since they're so much easier to work with than what comes in the stock tool kit.

Instead of T-handle torx for your on the road kit try this: A sliding T, a 6" extension (I prefer the wobble type), and a bunch of torx bits. To complete the set: a palm ratchet.

And the wobble type will probably be a big help in getting the bolt that holds both the front of the tank to the frame and the center tank panel. It's a very tight fit in there.

My tool kit currently works across 3 bikes, the airhead G/SPD, the R1150GS and the HP2e. The pain with the HP2e is that you need a couple of torx sockets in addition to the bits. Your setup above looks very useful for that.

I have a friend who has ridden a GS for many years. He currently has a 2010. He is going to Europe in a week or so and will ride the new GS about 3,000 miles while there. If the new bike is as good as described, he will have a very nice black GS for sale when he gets back.

'You can say what you want about the South, but I almost never hear of anyone wanting to retire to the North.

It's apparent to me that everyone who rides this new bike is really taken by it. So, how much smoother is it than a non OHC Hexhead?

Rinty - it's not so much the smoothness as it is the increased power and its characteristics. It is smoother, overall, though.

The motor revs much more quickly, and there's power everywhere, in every gear. (It does protest slightly with a thrum-thrum-thrum vibration through the footpegs when asked to pull hard under 3k rpm) While the old motors pretty much check out after 5k rpm, the new motor is just getting going. You get a nice strong surge of power up to over 7k rpm and it's redlined at 9.

And yet you can be trolling along in 6th at 70-ish and get strong acceleration upon roll-on. In just seconds you're over the ton.

This bike is very similar to my HP2e, which has the blueprinted motor and weighs 425lbs. The new GS has serious power, you'd best be holding on when you twist the loud handle (which, btw, is a very racy quarter-turn throttle).